Friday Guest Post and Give-Away Winner

First let me announce the winner of One Thousand Giftsby Ann Voskamp. The winner is….Melody!!!! You can see the random name selector I used here. E-mail your address to me at angela (at) rethinkingmythinking (dot) com and I will get the book to your doorstep.

Second, I have joy of sharing a guest post today on Shannon Milholland’s website. You can check it out here.

Speaking of Shannon Milholland. I am thrilled that she wrote a guest post for you. I met her at the Proverbs 31 She Speaks conference and we had lots of fun together. In fact our speaker critique group leader thought we were friends prior to meeting each other at the conference. That is to say that we were a bit…chatty or loud. You would never guess that about me, would you? Sadly it is true we laughed hard and teased hard along with Lisa (whom needs to write a guest post for me sometime). Anyway, I am super excited for you to read what she has written….

I Think I Love You

By Shannon Milholland

Philippians 4:8 Whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable—if anything is excellent or praiseworthy—think about such things.

Misery loves company; my marriage proved it true. A few months prior I’d been on floating on rainbows. Now I sat in a thunderstorm of sadness. My second chance at marriage felt more roommate than romance.

I knew where my marriage was heading. Destination divorce was a location I’d vowed never to repeat. Something needed to change…now.

I took long walks with God and implored Him to alter my husband into the man I wanted. I begged, cried and pleaded. Nothing changed.

On one ordinary afternoon walk, God’s truth pierced through my cloud of marital misery. What if the problem wasn’t with Scott? What if the problem was with me? The words to Philippians 4:8 played in my mind like a CD player stuck on repeat. “Whatever is true…”

I began to wonder how my marriage might change if I shifted my focus from my list of Scott’s failings to a list of truth. What truth did I know?

Scott is honest.

Scott loves me.

Scott places high priority on family.

If Scott is honest, I can trust what he tells me. He declares his faithfulness and allegiance to me. No careless remark or unseen act of service changes that. He will not leave me.

If Scott loves me, I can trust his heart. He wants what’s best for me. He gives all he has to offer. He will not leave me.

If Scott places a high priority on family, he will do whatever it takes to keep his family intact. His commitment is firm. His presence in my life is unwavering. He will not leave me.

As I focused on God’s truth, it became apparent the one who needed to change was me. Every fault I thought I found with my husband was rooted in my own relational insecurity. I could trust Scott because I could trust God.

I purposed to focus my mind daily on God’s truth and not perceived insults or injuries. My marriage radically transformed. Love bloomed in the desert of misery. I suppose misery still loves company but I’ve found God’s truth makes even better company.

Shannon is the author of Jesus & My Orange Juice, a fresh-squeezed oasis for ordinary life. She finds joy among miles of carpools and piles of laundry and delights in leading others to this place of contentment in life. Join the conversation at Jesus & My Orange Juice where God shows up in her everyday life.

Shannon is Social Media Director for Southern Writers Magazine. She writes articles both for their magazine and blog about blogging and building a platform as an author. Southern Writers exists to nurture and encourage writers and fits perfectly with Shannon’s uplifting personality.

When not writing, you can find Shannon speaking to audiences with a message of hope and encouragement. Straight forward about her own struggles, Shannon is a compassionate advocate fighting for victory in the lives of her audience. Read more at www.shannonmilholland.com.

Shannon, The Lords love is so evident in your writing! It reaffirms in my heart that He is mindful of us and our happiness is important to Him. Your sensitivity to the promptings of the Spirit is a great lesson for all of us!

Angela, thank you for sharing Shannon’s story, she is one of my favorite blog friends!